His Holiday Promise by Ciara Knight

Author:Ciara Knight
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781939081797
Publisher: Defy the Dark Publishing LLC

Chapter Eleven

Winter attacked the ranch the day after Christmas, locking me inside the house with Jeb. My heart wanted to travel to our neighbors. Our Christmas dinner had been memorable, conversation touching, sharing the Agatha’s baby kicking, and new traditions. I’d even managed to make a decent meal that everyone ate.

By four days after Christmas, I thought I’d build a sled and find a flying reindeer to escape the clipped conversation of my son, the isolation of silence, and the aching of missing people I’d grown to care about.

I approached Jeb, who was buried in business papers, and settled in the chair next to him by a roaring fire. “Jeb, son, can we talk?”

He shuffled some papers. “Sure.”

I slid to the edge of the chair and leaned toward him, trying to earn his attention for a few minutes. “Son, I’m glad you were able to secure a deal with the military. It’s amazing how much you’ve built here.”

“Umhmm.” He continued flipping through papers, his gaze never drifting from the numbers and contract in his hands.

“You know, all this would be even better if you had someone to share it with.”

“That’s why I’ll have a wife arriving in a few months. You’ll have grandchildren soon to keep you company.”

The idea of little ones filled my chest with warmth, but I didn’t want him to marry a woman for convenience. “Why don’t you cancel that contract and consider meeting a girl in Sherman and courting her.”

“We’ve already talked about this. I don’t care about having love in my life. Love is only a distraction. I need a woman who can produce what I need—sons.”

I hunched over, hearing the determination in his voice. “I wish…” With a shake of my head, I slouched in the chair and eyed the fire. He’d never listen to me. I knew he loved me, and there was no one else in the world I wanted happiness for more than Jeb, but if Fredrick was right, only Jeb could choose for himself. Jeb had suffered his own kind of abuse, self-inflicted isolation.

He dropped the papers to his lap and shot me a sideways glance. “Besides grandchildren, you’ll have a woman around to talk to. I thought this would make you happy.”

“I want you to be happy, that’s all. I don’t need a daughter-in-law or grandchildren. I need you to live your life for more than money.” I sat straight and lifted my chin, preparing for his explosive retort at my next words. “What if I found happiness? Would you believe in real love and open your heart to someone?”

He chuckled. “Don’t you think you are past needing babies and a husband?”

My temper reared with a snap of resentment. “I’m not that old.”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you don’t have to suffer marriage again. You can live with me the rest of your life and never have to trust yourself to a man in the future. You’d have no rights, and I’m old enough to fight back now.

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